<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Den Of Woe by LeonidasVIII</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23769313">Den Of Woe</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeonidasVIII/pseuds/LeonidasVIII'>LeonidasVIII</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy X-2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Paine is getting better, Rikku is Not, Rikku screams a lot during that cutscene, big oof man, but Rikku also has some serious trauma so, den of woe, here's another trauma fic, it gets better but like, so this is a touch on what she saw, we like... All know what Paine saw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:55:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,387</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23769313</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeonidasVIII/pseuds/LeonidasVIII</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Paine saw her friends, aiming at each other, the soldiers lying dead, Nooj with pyre flies swarming him as he fired on her. What did Rikku see?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Den Of Woe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Paine had never wanted to come back here, but she had to understand. The pyre flies taking her mind, making her relive that moment, she hated it. She hated coming to because a bullet tore through her shoulder, hated that she recognized wounds her sword had made on Yuna. Hated that she could see Rikku gathering herself, clearly also wounded by Yuna, that she could recognize the wounds the thief's blades had left in their friend. Hated fighting Gippal, and Baralai, and Nooj, but she understood. Nooj hadn't betrayed them. He'd still been possessed. And it felt like, maybe, the worst was over. She could heal from this, now.</p><hr/><p>She heard the arguing in the elevator, heading to the bridge, and the heated Al Bhed only became clearer as she approached.</p><p><em>"...least go see it!"</em> Brother, loud and annoyed.</p><p><em>"And I said I won't! And you can't make me!"</em> Rikku. What were they arguing about now?</p><p>"<em>It's Home, Rikku! Why will you not go back, hm?!"</em></p><p><em>"Because I've had enough of that place's ghost! I'm sick of it! I don't wanna see a guado and think of everyone who died! I don't wanna hear the bastard's name and think of the people we couldn't save!"</em> She peered in, saw the two siblings inches apart. Rikku looked… Angry, yes, but… Hurt, too. Something was wrong.</p><p><em>"You think I don't mourn them too?! We all do! Why are you so resistant to this?! Shinra has no issues with it! Father has no issues with it! I have no issues with it, so what is your problem?!"</em> Rikku shoved him, and now Paine could see tears in her eyes.</p><p><em>"My problem is I went to help Paine and I wound up being forced to relive it! I almost killed Yuna because I was back there and there were guado everywhere! I will not go back to Home, and you will not make me!</em>" Brother looked stunned, and Rikku was shaking. She brought her hand up, smashing it into her face as she angrily scrubbed at tears. <em>"I'm too tired for this. I'm going to bed."</em> She turned, storming past and not even noticing Paine, walking into the elevator and collapsing to her knees as the doors closed. All Paine could do was stare quietly, her heart aching her friend.</p><hr/><p>When Paine walked into their room, she could hear the quiet sniffling of the Al Bhed, and hesitated before walking over and sitting next to her.</p><p>"You wanna talk about it?" Rikku just shook her head, and Paine hesitated before resting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm here if you do." Rikku spoke after a moment.</p><p>"How much did you hear?" Paine hesitated, and then sighed.</p><p>"I'll admit I know why you're upset. That doesn't matter if you don't wanna talk about it." Rikku turned, took her hand.</p><p>"It's not your fault. I chose to go in there, I knew what could happen." Paine's heart clenched. Rikku was trying to reassure her? She squeezed the other woman's hand.</p><p>"I know. It's not your fault either, Rikku. And it isn't your fault for not wanting to go back. You're allowed to be hurt." Rikku curled into her side. Her voice was heavy with grief when she spoke.</p><p>"It's Home, I should be able to go, they managed to rebuild it and it's fine and everyone who made it out is still safe and it's Home and the idea of going back hurts and-" Her increasingly strained voice broke on a choked sob, and she curled up tighter. Paine ran a hand through her hair, unsure how to soothe her. And then she took a deep breath and moved her into her lap. Rikku curled into her, clung to her and sobbed. Paine wrapped her arms around her, hoping holding her would be enough. She wasn't any good at comforting, had to hope that simply offering her presence was enough. When Rikku calmed, she didn't pull away. Instead, she spoke quietly, muffled by Paine's shoulder. "Can we stay like this for a while?" Paine nodded.</p><p>"If you want, yeah." Rikku's eyes closed.</p><p>"Thank you." She was asleep within minutes, and Paine smiled a bit. At least she was resting.</p><hr/><p>Rikku woke from a nightmare, one of guado and Al Bhed and her father's airship firing on the only place she could ever have called hers, and she needed air, she needed to not be within steel walls. She went up on the deck, and paused as she saw Paine. She was holding a tablet Shinra had been working on, a handheld version of his computers, and she was watching something. Rikku approached quietly, watching over her shoulder. It was the Crimson Spheres she was watching. And Rikku sat next to her, caught her glancing at her, but she didn't turn off the sphere. Rikku had watched this one, curious as to why Paine had seemed so… Hurt, when they found that one. It was the one where Nooj shot them. She took the tablet before she could watch her shoot them, and set it aside.</p><p>"Why were you watching all that?" Paine hesitated, and then looked away.</p><p>"Because I don't wanna forget what he did. I… I think I forgive him, but I don't wanna forget." Rikku took her hand.</p><p>"Doesn't mean you have to let it define you. Hurt shouldn't determine who you are, Paine." Paine looked at her, and she could see how badly she wanted to say something. She waited, letting her take her time. And then she took a deep breath.</p><p>"If hurt shouldn't define you, why are you letting yours do just that?" Rikku's eyes widened.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"You're hurt and I get that, but maybe seeing the way they've rebuilt Home would help you. I'm not saying it will, and if you still choose not to go I'll leave it be, but… But going back there helped me. I faced it and it helped and maybe that's what you need, is to face it head on. Maybe seeing it as it is now will help to keep the pain from what you lost getting to you so much."Rikku stared at her another moment, and then sighed.</p><p>"Yeah, maybe. It scares me, though. What if I go there and all I can think of is the people who should be there but aren't, what if it just gets worse? What do I do then, if the only place the Al Bhed can call theirs is somewhere I can't stand to be?" There were tears in her eyes again, and she hated it. She hated breaking down in front of people, she was supposed to be strong, dammit! Paine lifted a hand, hesitated, and laid it on her shoulder.</p><p>"Then you know, at least. But if you don't face it, you never will. And you'll always have a place here, with us." Rikku leaned against her, and it wasn't like the night when she'd curled up in her lap and sobbed. But Paine's arms wrapped around her and she thought, maybe, that she wouldn't mind if that happened more often. And she'd never admit to thinking maybe there's someone she doesn't always need to be strong for.</p><hr/><p>Home had been… A lot. It was familiar faces and a growing ache as she noticed people missing, tried to figure out if they were dead or just not there. It'd been introducing Paine to anyone who asked, snapping at those who made rude comments, and it was the least tiring part of the trip. She let herself sag against the fighter as they boarded the Celsius, and if it were anyone else she'd have protested, but she said nothing as Paine's arm wrapped around her, as she pulled her closer. It was nice, actually, hip to hip with the woman who had convinced her to come, had gotten her to her over herself.</p><p>"Hey, Paine?" A curious hum and slight turn of her head, even as she kept her eyes ahead. "I'll have to bring you here more often." And that got a smile, small, but there.</p><p>"I'd love to come back." Rikku hummed in content, closing her eyes. When she tripped and brought Paine down with her a few minutes later, she just laughed at the flat look she got.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>